Though I didn’t watch President Obama’s speech on Sunday night, I did take the time to read the transcript later in the evening.  While I didn’t really feel any need to be consoled or reassured, I was pleased to see that he made a point of saying “Don’t be assholes to Muslims.”  (I’m paraphrasing just a bit here.)

So, I wasn’t exactly shocked on Monday when Donald Trump decided to be the biggest asshole in America by stating that we should not allow Muslims into the country.  And in clarification added that American Muslims who are not in the country should not be allowed to come home.

And while there have been condemnations of his “plan” – it’s too little, too late.

The Republican party and the media can look in the mirror as they wring their hands and wonder how this could have happened.  When you give a racist, xenophobic, bigoted asshole a national platform to spew this vile crap, you’re part of the problem.  (And no, I’m not saying his GOP cohorts running for the presidency are much better.)

We need to stop giving this man a platform for hate and any sense of legitimacy.

Trump has put Muslim Americans at great risk of violence at home – and he has put American citizens everywhere at risk of violence, because he’s doing Daesh’s job for them.  All they have to do is point and say, “See?  That guy could be their next president and  he hates you.”

And then we sit around and wonder how young people get radicalized.